Risk Categorising and Ranking of Plant Pests

The plant pests to be assessed include fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, insects, and mites that are listed in European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO)'s A1 and A2 lists and that are not yet considered for regulation in Norway by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

This is a continuous assignment carried out for the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

Background

Many different plant pests can pose a risk to Norway, and the risk is constantly changing due to increased global trade, changes in trade patterns and production practices, climate change, and lack of effective control measures. Therefore, there is a need for continuous assessment of plant pests to identify new threats to Norwegian plant health.

VKM will prepare a continuous overview of the risks posed for Norway by the pests on EPPO's lists. The overview will provide the Norwegian Food Safety Authority with a basis for prioritising pests that should be included in further regulatory work. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority may follow up on the delivery by commissioning more detailed risk assessments for specific pests.

Assignment

VKM shall provide continuous assessments of the pests that EPPO recommends member countries to regulate as quarantine pests and which the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has not yet considered for regulation in Norway. The deliverables include simple assessments of risks and ranking of the risk posed by the different pests under Norwegian conditions.

VKM will prepare a statement that includes at a minimum the following points for each pest:

• The identity of the pest.

• Current knowledge of its absence or presence in Norway.

• The pest's potential for introduction, establishment, and spread in Norway.

• Potential consequences of establishment and spread in Norway.

Project Group

All members of the Panel on Plant Health shall contribute to the assessments based on their professional backgrounds. The Panel on Plant Health will approve the work.

Selamawit Tekle Gobena - VKM Secretariat

Daniel Flø - VKM Secretariat (project manager)

VKM will continuously publish completed analyses of individual pests on its website. In addition, every six months VKM will publish a short report summarizing the results. Critical findings will be reported immediately to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority for prompt response and action.